Visiting My Ancestral Homelands (Part 1)

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I have just returned from two weeks away in Scotland and Ireland, my ancestral homelands.

But first, I should point out that this was not a ‘genealogy trip.’ I did not go to Scotland and Ireland with the intent of conducting any research. Rather, the purpose of the trip was to visit family and friends.

The trip to Scotland was primarily a chance to visit with my youngest daughter, Jenna, who is completing her Masters degree at the University of Aberdeen. It just so happens that Aberdeen is that part of Scotland that my Hadden ancestors lived in for many generations before my great-grandfather, Alexander Shand Hadden, moved his family that included my grandfather John Gaull Hadden to Canada.

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My wife Ellen is greeted by Jenna Hadden at the Aberdeen International Airport on April 27, 2015

The trip to Ireland, Dublin specifically, was to visit friends, former neighbours, who had moved back to Ireland after many years living in Canada.

Those purposes were met and the expectations of them exceeded. And admittedly, I did sneak in a little bit of genealogy. In fact, I was encouraged to do more genealogy related research activities but resisted.

Genealogy for me is more than records and documents. It includes experience and the senses. It was enough for me to walk where my ancestors walked, to see the views that they saw, to touch what they touched and smell what they smelled. I can feel somewhat more connected to them having that shared experience.

Our trip did not get off to good start with flight delays on top of flight delays, rescheduled connecting flights that were rescheduled once again from unplanned destinations. Eventually, through the layers of security checks and passport checks and customs questions, we did arrive in Aberdeen, Scotland. And the look of joy and excitement on my daughter’s face at the airport made the journey worth while.

Over the next few posts, I will share some of the sights and highlights of journeying back to my ancestral homelands.

Sentimental Saturday (A Day Late) – Gertrude Ellen (Foley) O’Neill

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I’m posting photos from my collection of family photographs on Saturdays with a brief explanation of what I know about each picture. Today’s ‘edition’ is a day late because yesterday I was travelling back home from Ireland.

Gertrude Ellen (Foley) O’Neill was my maternal grandmother and I admit that as her first grandchild, who also lived just two houses away from her, she worked hard to try to spoil me rotten! In this photo, likely taken around June 1955 by my father, ‘Nana” as I called her is holding a very young ‘yours truly.’  The photo was taken in front of my maternal O’Neill grandparents’ home at 185 Pickering Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My grandmother was 57 years old at the time and seemed happy to be a grandmother!

Gertrude Ellen Foley O'Neill with Ian June 1955

Sentimental Saturday – Wilma and Tess

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I’m posting photos from my collection of family photographs on Saturdays with a brief explanation of what I know about each picture.

Wilma Trimbee (on the left) and Olive Teresa Evelyn ‘Tess’ (Latimer) Wagner (my wife’s mother) were the best of life-long friends. They were next door neighbours in the 1950’s and although Tess and husband Carl would move across Canada, literally from coast to coast, Wilma and Tess remained inseparable. This photo was taken when Wilma was visiting Tess at her home in Nanaimo, British Columbia.

Tess passed away in 1997 but we will be celebrating Wilma’s 97th birthday later this year.

Wilma and Tess Sept 1989

The Tragedy Of Not Beating The Train – John Eades

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Life was good. Especially on that Wednesday.

John Eades was getting married on that Wednesday.

It was also not just any Wednesday for in addition to being his wedding day, that Wednesday was Christmas Eve.

John and his bride Sarah Latimer exchanged vows in the quiet, little village of Seaforth, Ontario that day. John gave his age as 25, his bride Sarah stated that she was 22 years old, although records suggest that she was likely younger. A lifetime of adventure awaited. They then spent their first Christmas together as husband and wife in 1873.

Over the years that followed that Wednesday, Sarah would give birth to at least five children while John worked first as a barber, then as a grocer and salesman to sustain the family.

They moved around a bit. They started off in London, Ontario then moved to the little village of Wingham. From there, it was off to the big city of Toronto where they lived in a small house at 138 Henderson Avenue.

They saw the arrival of the 20th century and probably sensed that renewal of excitement and hope that newness brings with it.

But that was the end for Sarah. On February 9, 1900, Sarah died of what the attending physicians called “cardiac and rural diseases.” Her age was given as just 45 years.

John carried on as best he could. His youngest son Edward John Latimer Eades was just nine years old when Sarah died so John worked in grocery sales and deliveries to keep them going.

Until that Monday when everything went wrong.

EADES John newspaper article death after hit by train 3 Mar 1913 - Copy

It was snowing lightly on that March 3rd, 1913. Adding a softness to snow-covered ground.

John was summoning his horse to pull the carriage of pork for delivery along Dovercourt Road in Toronto. Up ahead was a railway crossing. Just more than one hundred years ago, there were no flashing lights and certainly no barriers in place when the trains came through.

But there was a signalman. On that Monday, Thomas Eversfield was that signalman.

Thomas would state that he waved his flag. He yelled for the driver to stop but the horse and sleigh were going too fast. Others reported that the driver seemed to have every confidence that he could make it across the tracks before the train came through. The train engineer saw the horse and sleigh and applied the brakes but was unable to stop the westbound freight train.

And so it was on that Monday that John Eades died, as did his horse, when he collided with the train. A tragic death that put John’s name on the front page of that afternoon’s local newspaper.

 

Sentimental Saturday – Andy and Louise Get Married

ianhadden1955 2 Comments

I’m posting photos from my collection of family photographs on Saturdays with a brief explanation of what I know about each picture.

This is wedding photo of Andrew Gammie (Andy) Hadden and his bride Louise Schmidt. The wedding took place in Saskatchewan, Canada. The precise date and location is still unknown to me. When the rest of his family was preparing to move to Toronto, Ontario around 1927, Andy (my grand uncle) got married and remained in Saskatchewan where he and Louise established a farm on his homestead.

HADDEN Andy and Louise wedding

Fun With Birthdays

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On April 14th, my wife celebrated her birthday. I celebrated mine on March 3rd.

My wife and I like our birthdays because the person who is celebrating their birthday gets to choose the restaurant to visit for their birthday dinner.

This year I got to thinking about the historic events that occurred on my wife’s birthday.

April 14th is the date upon which Abraham Lincoln was shot in 1865. Lincoln died the following day.

April 14th is also the date on which the Titanic hit that infamous iceberg. The ship sank the next day resulting in the loss of more than 1500 passengers.

I couldn’t really find any historic event having taken place on March 3rd.

I did find however that I share my birthday with a few celebrities: Joshua Duggar from the TLC reality show 19 Kids And Counting and Jessica Biel, actress, new mom and wife of Justin Timberlake. I also found two birthday shares that I really especially like. Being a Canadian with Scottish roots, the first birthday share I enjoy is the late James Doohan, a fellow Canadian who played a Scotsman, named appropriately enough ‘Scotty’ on the original Star Trek television series and follow-up movies. The second and arguably most important birthday share is with Alexander Graham Bell who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 3, 1847 and immigrated to Canada in 1870, leading to the invention of the telephone in 1876.

What about you? Is your birthday marked with historic events? Do you share your birthday with celebrities or historic figures? Share the story of your birthday in the comment section below.

Crestleaf.com’s Guess My Family Heritage Blogathon Contest

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Crestleaf.com is holding a contest to see if you can guess the family heritage based on a photo. To read more about Crestleaf.com’s contest, click here.

As I have written previously about Crestleaf, it is an online resource that allows you to build a family tree. It provides free space of up to 1 GB for family photos (more space is available for a fee) and also allows you to share the tree with other family members so they can add to it.

Below is a family portait. Please leave a comment with your guess of the family heritage based on the photo. Good luck!

John Gaull and family

Sentimental Saturday – Hockey

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I’m posting photos from my collection of family photographs on Saturdays with a brief explanation of what I know about each picture.

With the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs kicking off as a conclusion to the 2014-2015 season, here is a photo from my youth. Yours truly was a goalie and like many young Canadian boys, there were dreams of playing at the professional level. The photo was taken around 1969 at a practice facility my Toronto Hockey League team used, located north of Toronto.

If you look closely, you can see my goalie mask tucked neatly over my left knee. Masks were mandatory but did not include helmets for goalies, which may explain the number of concussions I received. The concussions may explain a lot of other things!

HADDEN Ian goalie abt 1969

Finding A Family Hero – An Obscure Canadian Database You Might Not Have Used But Should

ianhadden1955 5 Comments

Canada, like many countries, presents honours and awards to its citizens as a way of paying tribute to acts of bravery and achievements that benefit the country and humanity.

In Canada, national honours and awards are presented by the Queen’s representative, the Governor-General. The Governor-General’s website (www.gg.ca) states “Each year, hundreds of Canadians earn our applause and gratitude: from community volunteers to astronauts, from actors to members of the military, from scholars to everyday citizens. Our Canadian Honours System gives them the opportunity to join an order or to be granted a decoration or a medal in recognition for their tremendous contributions to our society.”

Most importantly for genealogists, the Governor General’s website offers a searchable database and you might just be surprised to find a relative or ancestor who received a national honour or award.

For example, one of my maternal uncles, my mother’s younger brother, recounted for me a trip he made to Ottawa, Ontario to receive a medal many years ago. He was told that a car and a driver would be taking him to the medal ceremony. However, being stubbornly independent, perhaps a family trait that I share, he decided to drive himself in his car to the ceremony. He, of course, got lost, not having any real familiarity with the city of Ottawa. Eventually he made it, just in time, to the event venue, Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General of Canada.

When I searched the Governor General database, here is what I found:

O'NEILL William 'Bill' medal of bravery 1977

Uncle Bill was honoured in 1977 as a hero for stopping on a highway, north-west of Toronto, and saving a man from a burning truck. I was a newlywed at the time of the incident and so was possibly a bit distracted when my mother, as I vaguely recall, told me about the actions of her brother. My mother had a great fondness for her little brother and was extremely proud of his act of heroism. But I never heard about the national honour and recognition. Now, with the aid of the Governor General’s website, I know the story!

Can You Help Find Photos of the Nusbickel Ranch in San Dimas, California?

ianhadden1955 3 Comments

I have written previously about Frederick Henry Nusbickel and that is how Charlene Wire found me.

As it turns out, the family of Charlene’s husband Dick knew the farm well. They worked on the farm many years ago. In fact, Dick’s maternal grandfather, Leonard Starner managed the ranch for more than thirty years.

I am trying to help Charlene and Dick Wire locate some photos of the Nusbickel citrus ranch. Dick spent the early years of his life on that ranch, just as his mother had before him. He rode on the tractor driven by his grandfather Leonard Starner through the orange groves and as a result, Dick has many fond childhood memories from that time.

More importantly, Dick is now an extraordinary watercolour artist. He is currently working on a series of paintings depicting buildings and scenes from the Nusbickel ranch. As you can see from the two examples below, Dick’s talent is extraordinary but he needs some help. There are more ranch buildings and scenes to be painted in order to complete his series.

NUSBICKEL Frederck Henry - Orange Grove Pump House - watercolour by James Richard Dick WireNUSBICKEL Frederick Henry - Orange Grove Barn San Dimas California - watercolour by James Ricard Dick Wire

“The Pump House” and “The Barn” by James Richard ‘Dick’ Wire, depicting buildings from the Nusbickel Ranch, San Dimas, California. Photos privately held by Charlene and James Richard ‘Dick’ Wire. Used with permission.

Leonard Starner with his wife Essie lived on the farm and raised their children there, including Dick’s mother Millie. The 1930 U.S. Federal Census shows the two families living on Foothill Boulevard ranch in San Dimas, California.

NUSBICKEL Frederick Henry household 1930 US Census - Copy

I’m not sure how Frederick Henry Nusbickel got into the citrus growing business. Frederick, you see, was born in Lyons, New York in 1881 and Lyons, New York, a small town located about half-way between Rochester and Syracuse on the south side of Lake Ontario isn’t exactly citrus growing territory. Frederick Henry Nusbickel came from a well-to-do family, his father also a Frederick Nusbickel was a successful hardware merchant. As a result, Frederick Henry was able to attend and graduate in 1903 from the prestigious Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

In 1905, Frederick Henry married Maisa Parker, soon after starting his career in the California citrus business. Following Maisa’s death in 1922, Frederick Henry married Marjorie Bixby Herlihy (nee MacPherson), the widow of Dr. John Stephen Herlihy. Frederick Henry, my wife’s second cousin twice removed, passed away in 1951.

STARNER Leonard and Essie with children Glenn Mildred Earl and lower Kenneth and Don abt 1942 from Charlene Wire

The Starner Family at the Nusbickel Citrus Ranch, San Dimas, California about 1942(bottom row (l-r): Kenneth and Don; Upper row (l-r): Glenn, Mildred, Earl, Essie and Leonard). Photo privately held by Charlene and James Richard ‘Dick’ Wire. Used with permission.  

If you have, or know someone who has, or even someone who might have, photos of the Nusbickel ranch that was located on Foothill Boulevard in San Dimas, California, please contact me by leaving a comment below, by email at ian.hadden@rogers.com, or through Facebook. Let’s help Dick Wire complete that series of paintings!